Emima, 68 years old, is part of the Umucyo (a Kinyarwanda word meaning "light") group. A mother of eight children between the ages of 8-36 years old, she has been able to provide an education for only some of them due to financial limitations. Emima sells a variety of foodstuffs, a business she has enjoyed for 35 years. She is requesting a loan in order to buy more foodstuffs, and she plans to keep her profits for savings.

Most of the other group members also sell foodstuffs, while others sell a variety of items such as fruits and vegetables, sugar, flour and other home items.

Additional Information

About Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda (UOB)

Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) is a Rwandan bank specializing in microfinance. It offers credit products to individuals and groups interested in starting or expanding their businesses. It also offers training in business development, financial literacy and health management. Given that approximately 90% of the Rwandan population is directly or indirectly related to the agricultural sector, Kiva lenders’ funds will be used to support UOB’s agricultural loan products, which are vital to the clients living in remote areas.

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.